Short Family

In this singular and imaginative story collection, Cecelia Ahern explores the endless ways in which women blaze through adversity with wit, resourcefulness, and compassion. Ahern takes the familiar aspects of women's lives—the routines, the embarrassments, the desires—and elevates these moments to the outlandish and hilarious with her astute blend of magical realism and social insight.

Margot's reservoir of romantic feelings for her husband, Drum, is running dry. But while the family is on vacation in Nantucket, Margot finds an opportunity to potentially regain her romantic love for her husband - in the form of Hadley Axelram, his ex-girlfriend. She is counting on jealousy as a relationship defibrillator. But after forcing her surfing-god husband to make plans for a surfing lesson with Hadley and her son, Margot is left to reminisce about the summer she fell in love with Drum, and the unexpected blossoming of their relationship. When she sees Drum and Hadley spending time together, will the spark reignite - and will her marriage be saved?

Shirley Jackson is one of the most important American writers of the last hundred years. Since her death in 1965, her place in the landscape of twentieth-century fiction has grown only more exalted. As we approach the centenary of her birth comes this astonishing compilation of fifty-six pieces—more than forty of which have never been published before. Two of Jackson’s children co-edited this volume, culling through the vast archives of their mother’s papers at the Library of Congress, selecting only the very best for inclusion.

Sam Hunter is a bit of an animal. He's a former Twin Cities cop who lost his badge because of excessive force. Abusive husbands, child molesters, and other lowlifes wound up looking like they'd been mauled by dogs...or wolves. Now Sam's a low-rent PI in Philadelphia. He takes the kinds of cases no one wants. His clients are usually on the fringes of society. The kind who are prey for all manner of predators--human and otherwise.

Perhaps no Christmas novel is more beloved than Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and no holiday poem more well-known than Clement Clarke Moore’s “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”. Together, these classic literary masterpieces warm our hearts and remind us of the joy and love to be discovered anew each Christmas morning. A Classic Christmas features both of these traditional works, as well as other vintage poems and stories that celebrate the timeless truths of the holiday season.

Thirty years ago, David Leavitt first appeared on the literary scene with a gutsy story collection that stunned readers and reviewers. Just 23, he was hailed as a prodigy of sorts: “remarkably gifted” (The Washington Post), with “a genius for empathy” (The New York Times Book Review), and “a knowledge of others' lives...that a writer twice his age might envy” (USA Today). “Regardless of age,” wrote the New York Times, “few writers so effortlessly achieve the sense of maturity and earned compassion so evident in these pages.”

These 12 stories - published over the last five years in Harper's, The Best American Short Stories, McSweeney's, Playboy, and other publications - veer from comic tales of love to social satire to suspenseful crime fiction, from hip Portland to once-hip Seattle to never-hip Spokane, from a condemned casino in Las Vegas to a bottomless lake in the dark woods of Idaho. This is a world of lost fathers and redemptive conmen, of meth tweakers on desperate odysseys and men committing suicide by fishing.

After crossing paths with a banshee in Ireland, Samantha Moon and the gang continue their whirlwind European tour... Next stop: Loch Ness. Sam books a two-hour tour of the infamous Loch with her friends and family. And even makes a Gilligan's Island joke or two. However, fun and games end when Allison accidentally sends the boat back in time... Seventy million years back in time, when plesiosaurus ruled the Loch. However, these gentle giants don't quite rule the Loch; indeed, something bigger does. Something nasty, huge and hungry. It's going to take all of the gang's combined skills to not...

As a graduation present for her daughter, Tammy, Samantha Moon and the gang head down to South America for the vacation of all vacations. Of course, no vacation involving the vampire detective would be complete without a little mystery and mayhem. Or in this case, a lot of mystery mayhem! First stop: Machu Picchu! These famous ruins are nothing short of breathtaking. But for Samantha Moon, they are a little more. Let the weirdness begin! Join the gang on their trip way down south. Adventure, mystery, and magic await! Click BUY NOW or READ FOR FREE today to begin the Latin Moon series today!

Polly’s fourth-grade daughter has been spending a lot of time with her classmate Sylvie—maybe too much. Sylvie’s clothes are a little…flashy…and her phone (a ten-year-old with a phone!) doesn’t seem to have any parental controls. It seems that Sylvie’s mother, with her vape pens and her too-high heels, may not be making good choices. As Polly tries to exert a positive influence, she discovers just how little anyone can tell about a family from the outside.

Aleksandr Berinksi is a Russian biochemist in the United States on a visa that is about to expire. Marriage will allow him to stay - marriage to Julia Conrad. If Julia's going to save her Seattle-based company, she needs him as much as he needs her. There's a Groom Wanted in Julia's life. And not just any groom!

The Blood Test – A Psychological Thriller That Will Keep You Guessing When Olivia takes her son Henry for a routine checkup, the last thing she expects is a blood test result that doesn’t make sense. She and her husband, Noah, conceived Henry through IVF—but the numbers don’t add up. With a nagging suspicion that won’t let her go, Olivia digs deeper, uncovering a series of unsettling coincidences. Then she meets Margo, another mother at Henry’s preschool, whose daughter looks eerily like him. The two women bond over their shared experience with the same fertility doctor—Dr. ...

They protect the streets, but when it comes to the women they want, all bets are off. Five fierce cops. Five curvy women who never saw them coming. From forbidden crushes to runaway brides, single moms to sweet shop owners, these men don’t just uphold the law - they rewrite it for love. Officer Julian – He’s her best friend’s older brother… and the man she’s always wanted. When Savannah tempts him past the point of no return, he makes her one promise—she’ll never be anyone else’s. Officer Anders – Elaina’s just trying to raise her daughter and run her business. But ...

Exposing his father’s transgressions in a tell-all was the ethical, righteous--and profitable--thing to do. What’s left but to slink back home for a humbling face-to-face with the man whose secrets he sold? He was a notorious government whistle-blower. Depending on whom you ask, he’s a treasonous felon, a folk hero, a validated patriot, or a national disgrace. To his son, Michael, he’s the father who threw his family into upheaval. Now, having moved back home at the age of thirty-four, Michael is getting to know him as a man.

Sevastiano Cantarelli can barely believe Amy Taylor is real. After the lifetime of betrayal he’s experienced, her surprising sweetness is the ultimate threat to his cynical worldview! Unwrapping her innocence was a gift he couldn’t forget...but one he knows it wouldn’t be fair to repeat. Their encounter left Amy exhilarated - and wanted for the first time. She knows that walking away from the commanding Italian is the safest way to keep her heart intact. Yet it’s the one thing she can’t do...because she’s pregnant with Sevastiano’s twins!

People come to Kiss County to fall in love. And I’m no different. I'm juggling motherhood, waiting tables, and saving every penny to open my dream bakery, but a busy schedule won't stop me from finding the man of my dreams. Rumor has it, there’s a hot new single dad moving in next door. My life is about to change for the better. At least, that’s what I thought until a new guy rolls into town and buys the space I wanted for my bakery. Meet Scott Smolders. My new enemy. But wait, it gets better. That hot new single dad next door? Turns out, that’s Scott, too. Sure, he’s got a smile ...

As a graduation present for her daughter, Tammy, Samantha Moon and the gang head down to South America for the vacation of all vacations. Final stop: The Amazon On a helicopter ride over the Amazon River, Samantha Moon thinks she sees a demon outside the window. A small demon, granted, but a demon nonetheless. And when the rotor blades stop working, and the chopper full of tourists starts to fall into the dense vegetation below, she’s pretty sure the demon had something to do with it. As the helicopter plummets, it takes all her supernatural skills to keep everyone alive. Somehow, she ...

A wounded U.S. Marshal. A Princess in peril. And an enemy that refuses to back down. Tucker Caine is scarred, gruff, and as rugged as the Colorado mountains. He’s made it painfully clear that I’m a thorn in his side. Too bad neither of us has a choice. And if he thinks I’ll crumble under his scowls, he’s in for a surprise. Tuck’s brooding blue eyes see through my defenses, stirring emotions I’ve spent my life hiding. Yet he locks himself behind walls of rough edges and biting words, guarding his pain like a fortress. Still, he can’t hide the rare flickers of kindness that slip...

Livia Andersen was a woman who held her family together with a quiet smile and an iron will. It’s only been months since her death and the four children she leaves behind continue to grapple with the shifting changes in their lives now that she’s gone especially her youngest daughter, Claire. Claire Andersen Slavik came to her lakeside cabin shortly after her mother’s death. She needed the refuge it offered her at a time when little else did. She’s had several visitors over the last several months including Scott Patterson, a close friend of her brother and the rest of the Andersen ...

WHITE CAT BLACK CAT - The Hunter ******************************************** One hot summer day, in front of the fan The white cat was sweating as only cats can When outside the window he suddenly spied A tiny bird chirping on the other side. The cat stretched hard, from his back to his front, And thought, “What a great day to go out and hunt!”